Then they were both laughing so much it made Rosie growl. Max had to tell Mum to shush up. Sometimes parents got carried away and forgot how to be sensible.

10

10

Thursday night, Leon pulled up at the oval for footy training and parked under the gum trees. Shane had told him the coach was willing to give him a run, but suddenly it didn’t seem such a good plan. The weather was terrible and the field was a sea of mud. But that was footy, wasn’t it? Rain or shine, you had to get out there.

Around the field, other team members were emerging from their cars: all twin-cab four-wheel drive utes with long aerials, which seemed to be the go around here. Leon tugged on the footy boots he’d bought that afternoon. The shoe shop in town had only a small range so it was lucky they’d had something resembling his size. As he squatted to tie his laces, some of the men jogged onto the field. Leon reminded himself this was just a small town and he should be able to hold his own here. When he was a kid, he didn’t do juniors because Bruny Island was too small for a competition, but he’d played at high school and university, and he was a pretty good winger. He was quick on his feet and had solid skills. Now, he felt a rush of excitement. He was actually looking forward to knocking a ball around again. He didn’t mind a bit of rough and tumble. And there was something therapeutic about putting yourself to the test. He ducked under the rail and headed across the field to join in.

Shane was standing alone, sucking on a smoke. In tracksuit pants and a black raincoat, he wasn’t dressed for playing. When he saw Leon, he turned away, but Leon was relying on him for introductions so he strode up and offered his hand. Shane inspected it lengthily before shaking. ‘Thanks for taking this on for me—I appreciate it,’ Leon said, ignoring the snub.

Shane sniffed, and Leon figured Wendy must have pushed him into doing this introduction.

‘You’re not playing?’ Leon asked.

‘Nah. Did a knee years ago. I’m a runner now. And I help out with training.’

‘Bad luck about the knee. Doctors can’t fix it?’

‘Nothing I can afford, other than tablets.’

‘I’ve been lucky with injuries,’ Leon said. ‘A few knocks to the head, but nothing serious.’

Shane broke into a lopsided grin. ‘Concussion, eh? Explains a lot.’

Leon smiled too. ‘How’s the team going?’ he asked. ‘Where are they on the ladder?’

‘Near the bottom. Tough competition this year.’

‘Maybe I can help.’

Shane glanced at him then spat on the ground. ‘Got tabs on yourself, have you?’

‘No. But I’ll run my butt off. Maybe kick a few goals.’